


Lazy days doing nothing much at all

by Lilithangel



Series: Jack and River totally know each other [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-16
Updated: 2012-08-16
Packaged: 2017-11-12 06:36:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/487816
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilithangel/pseuds/Lilithangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He knows he’s going to die and he wants one perfect day. There’s so much guilt with so many of his companions and it’s all so complicated with River, but then he stumbles onto someone else looking for a perfect day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lazy days doing nothing much at all

It was a nice planet with a nice lake a nice bar where nothing was due to happen for at least two hundred years so he’d rolled up his pant legs, left his coat in the TARDIS and set out for a nice day. He had invitations to deliver but he just fancied a nice quiet day first then he’d have a picnic by another lake when the others joined him. Maybe not just nice, nice was nice but he was getting a bit disturbed thinking the same word in all his sentences.

Maybe next time he’d just try wine though. Sangria had sounded rather exciting when the bartender listed the ingredients but it really wasn’t, and it didn’t have a little umbrella in it. But the lakeside was great, it had vivid green water that turned multicoloured when he dabbled his feet. He did regret not having anyone to paddle one of the huge swan boats with but he made do. Swan paddle boats, one of the most popular human marvels to cross the universe.

There were a few locals wandering around enjoying the hours between the setting of the first sun and the rising of the second. Something tugged painfully at his senses and to his surprise he saw a familiar face. Jack was still wrong but after everything the Doctor had seen and done it was an almost pleasant hurt. More concerning was the odds of them both being on the same planet without something not-nice happening. Well he was just going to ignore anything not-nice.

Jack was watching the water as if it was hiding some great secret. Which it could be the Doctor decided, but it wasn’t a good secret by the expression on Jack’s face. It was an expression he remembered from the Valiant when the Master had told Jack about the deaths of the Torchwood team.

Realising this was the first time he’d seen Jack in his new body the Doctor decided to take advantage.

“You look like you could use this,” he said holding out the sangria as he approached Jack. “Not really my thing it turns out.”

Jack took the drink automatically and he continued to amble past pretty sure he could predict Jack’s next move.

“Wait up,” Jack called out and chased after him. He allowed himself a small smile before he stopped and turned back with an enquiring look. “It’s not that I don’t appreciate the thought,” Jack added, “but normally people stop to chat when they buy me a drink.” He smiled flirtatiously at the Doctor.

“So you expect people to buy you drinks then?” he smiled back.

“I’m just as happy to do the buying,” Jack said extending his hand, “I’m Jack by the way.”

“I’m John,” he replied taking the offered hand.

“Are you enjoying yourself John?” Jack asked.

“I was until the sangria, it’s not so bad now though,” he said a little surprised at his own boldness.

“What brings you to Qvnkvsn,” Jack asked and the Doctor was impressed at his ability to pronounce the vowelless name, “business or pleasure?”

“There’s really only pleasure on Qvnkvsn,” he said, “one of the most peaceful planets in the sector. I’d say nothing ever happens here but I don’t want to jinx things.”

Jack laughed, “You couldn’t be more right. It’s nice to be somewhere that nothing ever happens.”

“Nice,” the Doctor said wrinkling his nose, “I’ve decided Qvnkvsn deserves more than just nice.”

“How about great or fantastic, or brilliant?” Jack suggested.

“They could do, but maybe not together,” he agreed. “So it sounds like you lead an exciting life.”

“Sometimes,” Jack said, “lots of running.”

“I like running,” he said, “but today feels like a wandering sort of day.”

“Fancy a wander then?” Jack said, managing to make it sound suggestive without even trying.

“Why not? Why not indeed, I like wandering. I’ve been wandering for a long time, never get tired of it really.”

The Doctor had forgotten how peaceful Jack could be to have around. Aside from the niggling wrongness that he didn’t seem to mind so much anymore, Jack seemed to know when it was okay to just wander and look and not need to fill the time with chatting. Sure he was good at chatting but this was like the times they’d worked on the TARDIS together.

“Ducks,” he said with excitement, “or the closest thing they’ve got here. We need bread.”

Jack laughed. “Luckily this is a tourist planet,” he said pointing to a stall selling bags of stale bread.

They sat down on the grass and threw bread at the duck creatures and the Doctor looked wistfully out at the swan boats. Of course they weren’t really swans but the concept was the same really.

“So you’ve spent time on Earth then?” Jack said.

“A bit, now and again,” he said. “How did you figure that out?”

“Your accent,” Jack said. “It’s mainly southern galactic standard but every so often at bit of Earth slips in. That and the ducks.”

“It’s a great little planet,” he said choosing to ignore the bit about an accent, “a bit out of the way, not really on the tourist trail. You must have been there to pick it up so easily.”

‘I’ve spent time in lots of places,” Jack said, “but yeah I’ve been to Earth.”

“You don’t look that happy about it,” the Doctor said shaking the last of the bread out of the bag.

“Some not nice things happened there. I haven’t been back in a while.”

The Doctor could think of a number of events in recent history that Jack Harkness would have called not nice and decided not to dwell on them.

“Shall we walk down to the jetty?” the Doctor stood up and offered Jack his hand.

“And see if the boats are for hire?” Jack said and he grinned.

The boats were for hire and they spent a frustrating but amusing hour trying to stop paddling in a circle. 

“You’re peddling too hard,” the Doctor told Jack.

“You’re too puny,” Jack replied but he did ease off a little if only because he was laughing so hard.

The Doctor could tell the paddle mechanism was damaged but didn’t want to pull out his screwdriver and let Jack know who he was. It was silly really but it was nice not to be the Doctor, to just be John. When he’d been John Smith last he’d been haunted by what he’d forgotten but with Jack it was like he was just John.

When they finally manoeuvred the boat back to shore Jack offered him a helping hand onto the jetty and he decided to keep it. Jack looked a little surprised but didn’t object as they wandered around the edge of the lake as the second sun peaked over the horizon. 

“Come on,” Jack said taking the lead, “I found this earlier.” They slogged up a hill as it got warmer and then down into a bay where the Doctor could hear running water. One of the lake’s feeder rivers fell over a small cliff and the waterfall created a cool oasis.

Soon the above ground residents of the planet would head underground to get some sleep and the next shift of workers would arrive to cater to the tourists. Not that there would be many tourists around while both suns were in the sky. Already the Doctor could feel the temperature rising.

Jack dropped down onto the grass and lay on his back. “You can never see the stars here, I kind of like that. I think the locals come here for other things,” Jack said, “but I like how peaceful it is.”

The Doctor collapsed next to him and looked up at the blue and green sky where it never grew dark enough to see the stars and had to agree with Jack. The pull of the stars was what had started it all, what had given him the best and the worst of his long life.

He risked a glance at Jack, letting his time senses see what was there. Jack was at once old and young. It didn’t exactly hurt but it was something he’d only seen in the untempered schism and well that hadn’t ended particularly well. He’d run from the schism because it scared him and if he was honest so did Jack. Jack who would outlive everything. It had been a heady feeling to not be alone even as it scared him and now he was going to die and Jack would be left behind again.

The Doctor turned back to the sky. Jack’s hand was still holding his and that felt alright, almost perfect really and that was what he was after.

“Clouds would be nice,” the Doctor said, “I like seeing shapes in clouds, but you’re right it is peaceful.” He let his eyes close so he could imagine the clouds.

When he opened his eyes again he could tell time had passed, but for forms sake he asked. “How long was I asleep?”

“Only a couple of hours,” Jack replied and he realised he’d somehow ended up with his head on Jack’s stomach. 

“There aren’t any clouds,” Jack said, “but you woke up at the perfect time. Just watch.”

Above them the sky began to change colour as a solar storm washed between the two suns. The planet was far enough away and had a thick enough atmosphere to mean they got an impressive colour show without any risk.

“It’s nice to know that even destructive forces can be beautiful,” the Doctor said.

“Yeah,” Jack agreed. When the Doctor angled his head he saw that Jack was looking at him and he grinned at the upside down image presented.

“Fancy an ice cream? I hope they have ice cream,” the Doctor said.

They had ice cream, or at least something that was frozen on a stick so the Doctor was happy. He kept waiting for something to happen to ruin the happy, or even for Jack to realise who he was but they continued to amble along the lakeside eating their frozen things watching the water and the people doing the same things as them.

“Will you go back to Earth?” the Doctor asked Jack finally.

“Most likely,” Jack admitted. “I had a role something I was good at but I people got hurt because of me so I decided it was time for a break. I’ve got a few more things to catch up on and then I’ll probably end up back there. I’ve friends there that depend on me and I need all the friends I can get.”

“Friends are good. Maybe I’ll see you around there,” the Doctor said. They’d made their way back to their first meeting point and the Doctor knew it was time to get back to what was supposed to happen. “But my ride’s waiting. Thank you for a wonderful day, Jack. Almost a perfect day really, of course nobody ever gets a perfect day.”

Jack shut up his babble by pressing their lips together in a chaste kiss. “Some days everybody lives and that counts as a perfect day. Be seeing you Doc.”

Jack stepped back and triggered his vortex manipulator, disappearing before the Doctor could say anything.

“Well,” the Doctor said, “Jack Harkness you sly old dog, that was a surprise. Good thing I like surprises then.”

“Excuse me sir,” the Qvnkvsnian who had hired them the swan boat hurried up. “Your friend paid for this but didn’t pick it up.” He thrust a holo-page at the Doctor. On it was the two of them paddling the swan around in circles and laughing.

Just when he thought he had everything figured out someone goes and surprises him. It really was a near perfect day. Maybe just maybe he could find a way to make another perfect day where everybody lived, including himself.


End file.
